What Is First Notice of Loss in Cyber Insurance?

First notice of loss, often abbreviated FNOL, is your initial report of a potential incident to your cyber insurer. Most policies require this within a specific window after you discover the issue, commonly 24 to 72 hours, and reporting promptly matters because most cyber policies are written on a claims-made-and-reported basis, where late notice can jeopardize coverage even if the insurer was not harmed by the delay.

Reporting quickly also gets your breach coach and forensics team engaged sooner, which matters for both your legal notification deadlines and the strength of your eventual claim. See How to File a Cyber Insurance Claim for what happens next.